Finally, it was proposed to make a flight from the northern shore of Alaska to Europe, in order to demon— strate the shortness and feasibility of arctic air routes between the earth's large continents. It was equipped with two Fokker planes, one of which, the Detroiter , was powered with three Wright whirlwind engines; the other, the Alaskan , with a Liberty.
The personnel included several pilots and technicians but on this, as well as on the expedi— tions of the next two years, it was Eielson who did the bulk of the flying. There were discouraging initial setbacks in , including three accidents in landing and take-off on trial flights at the Fairbanks field. Undeterred, Eiel— son and Wilkins repaired the Alaskan , replacing the badly damaged propeller with an old Club model.
In this plane, late in March, they made the first flight in history from subarctic Fairbanks far into the Arctic, traveling more than miles to Barrow, on the continent's northern shore. No radio contact existed with the distant point of destination, and the route crossed a vast expanse of rugged terrain that had been seldom traversed on foot.
Passing through the jagged Endicott Mountains, the two aviators barely missed disaster when peaks marked on existing maps at five thousand feet proved to have twice this altitude. Subsequently navigating for hours above flat, snow-covered tundra, the men reached and passed the northern shore line without knowing it.
Wilkins soon recognized from the character of the ice ridges below that land had been passed. He allowed Eielson to proceed unaware for one hour, then notified him that the plane was miles offshore. Flight out over the ice pack was deliberately continued for another thirty minutes. In the return toward Alaska a sudden blizzard was encountered.
Navigating with difficulty through driving snow, the men succeeded in locating Barrow, and Eielson made a smooth landing on the frozen lagoon.
Arrival at the tiny, isolat— ed settlement under conditions of such poor visibility was remarkable in itself; many pilots subsequently equipped with modern radio and ground aids have exper— ienced difficulty in locating Barrow under better weather conditions. During the rest of the season Wilkins and Eielson made four more pioneer flights from Fairbanks to Barrow, heavily loading their plane with fuel and supplies required at the northernmost base for the more extensive expedition planned for the following year.
In they returned to Alaska with two Stinson biplanes, powered with Wright engines. On March 29th, equipped with a stock of emergency food supply, they left Barrow in one of these planes for their first long flight out over the Arctic Sea.
Chelnov: Potter: Carl Ben Eielson direction when the engine missed. Eielson skillfully landed the wheeled plane on the pack ice. The unforeseen descent proved a contention which Wilkins had long made in exploration circles: that safe landings on wheels may be made [?
Eielson was sufficiently impressed by the scientific value of the mishap to stop the engine in order to permit echo soundings; although, he later admitted, he had serious doubts as to whether he could start it again.
The depth of the water was found to be more than three miles, the greatest registered up to that time in the Arc— tic Sea. The Journey back to land was likewise marked by historic triumph over accident.
Starting the engine after two hours of effort, Eielson made a suc— cessful take-off and headed toward Alaska through gathering storm. When engine trouble developed ten minutes later, he once more made a landing on the ice. When he accomplished take-off again, the plane resumed its lone course through snow and dusk. Progress was slowed by a mile side wind. A third time the engine gave trouble, this time stopping suddenly and completely. Eielson made a complete emergency landing on the ice pack, a landing that was both skillful and fortuitous.
Turbulence threatened the descent and this time darkness pre— vented selection of a possible runway among the rough pressure ridges. One of these was struck as the plane came down, with serious damage to the skis. The aviators were not hurt. Landing had luckily been made on a smooth stretch of ice less than 30 by 15 yards in area, which was surrounded by ridges higher than the plane.
The position was some 65 miles northwest of Barrow. The Stinson was no longer flyable. On the sixth day the storm abated and, most important, the temperature dropped. Colder weather, as so often is the case in the Arctic, brought conditions more favorable to trans— port. Ice formed across the open leads of water that had separated drifting frozen islands.
The men improvised sleds from the Stinson's skis and cowling, loading them with their stock of emergency food. They drained and loaded the remaining fuel. Embarking on another historic test, they abandoned their air— craft and set forth to walk to the Alaskan shore. The journey required thirteen days. Locomotion through the deep snowdrifts and over the sharp pressure ridges was arduous but sure.
For eielson, the trip was more difficult than it need have been had he been more experienced in arctic conditions. In his hasty work on the engine, he had thoughtlessly exposed his hands to bare metal, freezing several fingers.
As a result it was necessary for him to haul supplies by means of his armpits. According to Wilkins, he made no complaint. He quickly learned from his partner the techniques of living on the ice pack, which presented little problem. Snowhouses were built at night for shelter and snow was melted for drinking water.
On April 16 arrival was made at the coast settlement of Beechey Point. It was later necessary that the little finger of Eielson's right hand be amputated.
This was the only casualty resulting from the perilous trip. He and Wilkins had shown that trained men, marooned by forced landing far out on the ice pack, can walk with safety to shore. In the aviators returned once more to Barrow, prepared for their most daring attempt, the first airplane hop in history across the Arctic Sea.
The significance of the flight and the feat of navigation which it involved have not yet been sufficiently recognized by the general public. Chelnov: Potter: Carl Ben Eielson a meridian. The only direction change required was at the Pole. The trans-Arctic hop of the dirigible Norge involved no more difficult a naviga— tion problem. It followed a direct line - in this case straight north and straight south. Wilkins, his hands numb with cold, lost hold of the ladder and fell a second time.
Again Eielson took off alone and again he landed on the snow. On the third try, Wilkins used a piece of driftwood to push from the cabin door, and the plane lurched free with both men inside.
Once in the air, they soon saw the radio towers and a coal mine at Green Harbour. Their success, following by less than a year the widely publicized solo flight of Charles Lindbergh from New York to Paris, attracted a wave of international attention in European capitals and in North America. In a triumphal tour of Europe, they were honored by the leaders of many countries, including England, where Wilkins, a British subject, was knighted by King George V.
Eielson was awarded the Harmon Trophy by President Hoover in Washington, and they were given an official welcome in New York attended by many dignitaries. Later in , Wilkins asked Eielson to join him in an expedition to Antarctica. They pioneered exploration by plane there in late and early Antarctic summer flying the same little Lockheed Vega.
After successes at both the top and bottom of the world, Eielson realized his dream of forming his own air service in Alaska. He had 12 planes, three hangars and a staff of experienced Alaska pilots and mechanics. Eielson now carried a new title of colonel after being commissioned in the National Guard in ceremonies in Grand Forks in April Eielson's satisfaction in fulfilling his dream was short-lived.
He was killed on Nov. His Alaskan Airways Inc. Eielson and his top mechanic, Earl Borland, made one safe trip to the ship and back to Nome. But a second flight to Siberia from Teller, a staging point northwest of Nome, proved disastrous when their plane crashed in a storm. They were about miles northwest of Teller or about miles northwest of Nome. A massive search was launched involving flyers from the U. On the 77th day, they found the plane at a point about 30 miles west of Cape Vankarem and about 90 miles from the icebound ship.
He was later introduced to Captain George Hubert Wilkins and the two together earned international acclaim for their non-stop, 2, mile flight over the North Pole on April 15, In September of the same year, Wilkins and Eielson completed a 1, mile flight in the Antarctic, where they discovered six new islands.
Remnants of Eielson's ill-fated plane, a Hamilton Metalplane, remained in Russia until return in the early s, and are today in the collections of museums in Alaska and North Dakota. Today the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum at Aircraft Drive, near Anchorage's Lake Hood, holds important articles in its Eielson collection, including movie footage of the aviator and his Hamilton in Siberia, his fur parka and inscribed gold watch, salvaged pieces of the Hamilton including its twisted propeller, and the flag that shrouded Eielson's body when it was recovered and returned to the U.
Don't be a show-off. Never be too proud to turn back. There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots.
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